Franklin High School senior athlete Mario Heslop was identified as the person who was involved in a tragic car accident according to a report on Monday, June 19, 2023. Mario was named the winter track athlete of the year by NJ.com and finished No. 1 in the final MileSplit Boys Indoor 2019 national individual rankings. Mario’s condition is currently unknown as his family are yet to release a statement.
The All-American finished the season first in the 55-meter, 400-meter, 60-meter, and 200-meter dashes in New Jersey.
At the New Balance Nationals Indoor earlier this month, Heslop won the 200-meter race in under 20.90 seconds, breaking the previous Garden State record. By.27 seconds, that time ranks as the fourth-fastest in American history for the event.
By completing the 55-meter preliminary run at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in 6.26 seconds, a state record, Heslop also equaled his personal best. He ultimately ran a 6.30 in the semifinals and a 6.29 in the final to place third overall in the competition.
Heslop set a new personal best in the 60-meter sprint by winning the preliminary round in 6.70 seconds, which tied the state record. Heslop ran a 6.75 in the semifinals to get to the final. He placed third in the final with a 6.73-yard kick.
Heslop didn’t compete in the 400 at Nationals, but his time of 49.23 seconds in the Group 4 championships in mid-February was still the best of the year.
The Kingston, Jamaica native helped Franklin win the overall Group 4 championship for the first time ever earlier in the season. The Warriors last won a team championship in Group 3 in 1990. He also won two gold medals at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions earlier in the season in the 200 and 400, narrowly missing a third in the 55.
The cause of the accident is yet to be known.
This is a developing story, stay tuned for updates.